


Sepia

by trappednightingale



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Hipsters, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-12-16
Updated: 2012-12-16
Packaged: 2017-11-21 06:26:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/594501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trappednightingale/pseuds/trappednightingale
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>College is hard enough without also struggling to maintain your reputation as a hipster.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sepia

**Author's Note:**

> It should be noted that a lot of this was written sarcastically.

College towns were insane. Some college towns were just that: a college town in the middle of nowhere with businesses run by students, for students. Others were large cities that happened to have a college or two in the midst of them. This college town was the best, and worst, of both worlds. Ten minutes away from a famous amusement park, and six minutes from a historic area, it was in the heart of a major tourist trap. But one of the best kept secrets of the city was Manoir Treize.

Built in the 1800s, then renovated in 1903, and again in 2001 to maintain functionality without taking away from the décor or antique atmosphere, Manoir Treize was a hipster’s paradise.

As if the neoclassical architecture of the manor itself wasn’t enough of a draw, every piece of furniture was an antique, and the lake in the backyard combined with the landscape to make truly breathtaking scenery that could really only be portrayed in sepia-toning.

In addition to the atmosphere and visual appeal, Manoir Treize had the most appealing housemates for a hipster: other hipsters. It had recently become a refuge for college students who loathed the idea of conforming to the commonality of dorm life, and had become a home to several pretentious douches who called themselves ‘the Cadre’. Of its eleven residents, two were working on doctorates in philosophy, two had BAs in film studies, two were nine credits from obtaining a doctorate in neurobiology, three had Masters degrees in English, one had a Masters in Music Technology, and the final resident had dropped out of the music composition program after obtaining a bachelor’s degree so he could focus on his own career.

As the name of the manor would suggest, it contained thirteen bedrooms. One was located on the ground floor and was reserved for their landlord on the off-chance that he would swing by for a visit. Rooms two through seven were on the second floor, and eight through thirteen were on the third floor. Their room numbers served as a way to identify themselves, and the residents would often mark their food items with their corresponding number. The people on the second floor had been there for well over a decade, with the exception of Zexion, who had only become a resident within the past five years. Until the current residents had begun living there, the manor had been a sort of temporary living arrangement for college students. However, six years ago had brought in a group that had decided to stay.

First, it had been Zexion. He’d been in a biochemistry class with Vexen, a resident of the manor, and had been having trouble with his roommate assignment. He was the youngest in his class, already working on his first doctorate at the tender age of eighteen, and was contemplating doing an online program to avoid dealing with…people. Hating the thought of losing a brilliant peer, Vexen suggested the Manoir Treize as an alternative to cyber-commuting. After moving in, Zexion met Xigbar, the owner of a coffee shop near the university, who offered him a job.

Shortly after Zexion moved in, the landlord sent one of his employees to live at the mansion to become a manager of sorts, Saïx. He was also working on his doctorates in philosophy at the nearby college, so it worked out in his favor. He became a regular at Xigbar’s coffee shop, Aromas, and would often engage Zexion in relatively intelligent banter, which helped his days go by more quickly.

One of the coffee shop’s usual customers was a young man by the name of Axel. He was in his senior year of college, an English major, and already had a novel published. He came to the coffee shop every Monday to work on his screenplay and to make fun of hipsters.

The coffee shop had open mic nights on Tuesdays, but there was a promising young musician who had managed to book a gig on Monday nights so he wouldn’t have to sacrifice his fanatical devotion to a popular TV show. Zexion met Demyx after one of the aforementioned gigs, and discovered that they had a mutual friend, Xaldin, who lived at Manoir Treize and also owned the music store Demyx worked at, Mélomane. To Zexion’s chagrin, Axel and Demyx became instant friends, and Demyx soon became the proud resident of room 9 in the Manoir Treize.

Within a week of Demyx moving in, an odd man by the name of Luxord moved in, having seen the flyer advertising vacancies in the Mélomane. To this day, no one actually knows what he does for a living. All they know is that he graduated from the same college as the other residents, and not to play for money on poker nights. After Luxord came Larxene and Marluxia, the manager and assistant manager, respectively, of Mélomane.

And the rest, they say, is history.


End file.
